From: South Australia, Australia
Varietal: Viognier
Taste and Critical Acclaim: The Y Series Viognier is on the fresher, lighter end of the Viognier spectrum. It shows all the unique characteristics of this exotic variety, without being too rich on the palate. Bright straw in color with green hues. Aromas of orange blossom with fresh ginger, hints of honeysuckle and white flowers. Fresh apricot, white tea, dried figs and fennel lead to a creamy mid-palate with a silky, textural finish.
91 pt Wine Enthusiast
Despite being Yalumba’s entry level Viognier, this is one of its most delicious white offerings. Highly aromatic, it wafts a perfume of honeysuckle, orchard blossom and fuzzy peach skin. The palate is more viscous than the nose implies, but there’s enough acidity to keep it fresh. Peach and lemon flavors linger on the finish. Drink with Thai curry or a similarly bold Southeast Asian dish.
Pairing: Best paired with harissa chicken or crispy rice pancakes with potato and chickpeas— keep going to see a recipe that melds the ideas above into a delicious pairing.
Crispy Bean Cakes With Harissa, Lemon and Herbs
By Yewande Komolafe
About. Established in 1849, Yalumba is Australia’s most historic family owned wine company. It remains fiercely independent and extremely progressive through the generational ownership by the Hill-Smith family. Yalumba’s longevity and success is a result of patience, collaboration and progressive thinking. There is foresight to embrace the natural terroir to craft wines with individual character and a sense of purpose, a spirit to reinvest in the land upon which it operates and knowledge to behave as a leader in the industry. It is committed to sharing stories of provenance gathered over more than 168 years of history of family winemaking.
Barossa is arguably the single most famous wine region in Australia. Barossa includes both Barossa Valley and Eden Valley, making it one of the only areas in Australia to have neighboring warm and cool climate growing conditions.
Yalumba is privileged to have access to some of the oldest vineyards in the world in Barossa Valley, including 1889 bush vine Grenache and 1908 Shiraz. At the inner sanctum of Coonawarra, on the prized terra rossa soil, lies Yalumba’s Coonawarra estate, The Menzies Vineyard. Comprised predominantly of Cabernet Sauvignon vines, this single vineyard is committed to growing premium quality fruit reflecting distinctive varietal characters of the region. Wrattonbully’s cool climate, plentiful high quality artesian water and well drained terra rossa soils led wine companies to plant large areas of mainly red grape varieties.
At Yalumba, they continually strive to reduce their impact on the environment, stay involved in the community, and make great wine with minimal intervention in the vineyard and in the winery. They are committed to sustainable practices, with the belief that the healthier and more biodiverse the vineyards are the better the wines will be. Yalumba has been developing its own sustainable viticulture program since the mid 1990s, promoting the economic production of quality grapes.